The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SOMETIMES
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
S
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S
More clues leading to the result SOMETIMES
- Problem reported by newspaper occasionally
- Quite a source of news and comment - now and then!
- Oral element of maths paper, on occasions
- I seem most dishevelled on occasion
- Now and then, when I relax, a call for help goes round
- Up, feel great about University, occasionally
- A remarkable rival to the Telegraph? Not always
- Occasionally making an admiring remark about one of our rivals?
- Admiring remark about runner’s feats, on occasion
- Well satisfied by the compiler’s empty excuses occasionally
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "occasionally" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case occasionally = sometimes.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SOMETIMES mean?
SOMETIMES adjective- Former; sometime.
- On certain occasions, or in certain circumstances, but not always.
- On a certain occasion in the past; once.